Editors' Review

PlayOn lets you take advantage of hardware you already have, in order to stream videos and other media to your TV from your computer. Whether you have a Roku, XBOX, Wii, or another compatible device, you can use this software to access over 100 channels on the computer to watch on the TV.

Pros

Lots of options: Everything about this software is designed to give you options in terms of what you want to view and how you want to view it. You can choose the browsers you want to stream from, including Chrome, IE, Firefox, and Opera. You can also use any of the compatible devices to connect to your TV, so you don't have to go buy any new hardware. And the app provides three different ways to watch your selected shows, including streaming directly, adding to a list to play later, or recording to watch offline.

Channel selection: There are tons of channel options available through this software, including Hulu, Vimeo, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, Crackle, and many more. All you have to do is log in to your account for the selected service through the app to start watching right away.

Cons

Limiting requirements: Some of the channels offered through this app do still require you to have a cable subscription to access, such as HBO GO, Comedy Central, SyFy, and more. You also do need to have some console or other device to serve as the go-between from your computer to your TV. While most people have one or the other of the supported devices, it's not a guarantee, and the app will do you no good if you don't.

Bottom Line

PlayOn is an excellent option to consider when you want to watch online programming on your TV. It's straightforward to set up, and it opens up a lot of different content options. However, without a cable subscription, some channels won't be available to you.

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Publisher's Description

PlayOn unlocks the power of your Roku, Wii, Xbox 360, or PlayStation 3 to watch your favorite movies, shows and videos from Hulu (no Plus required), CBS, Netflix, YouTube, CNN, ESPN, and 40+ more streamed right to your TV. It is wireless and there is no need to purchase a new device, connect messy cables, or worry about your cable bill. PlayOn also enables you to stream your personal videos, photos, and music from your PC to your Home Entertainment Center or your Mobile device.

Playback of prerecorded videos IN THE RIGHT FORMAT worked fine. Over three days of trying I was never able to get even ONE program playing on either IE, Firefox or Chrome to "CAST" or transfer to the Roku 3 box. PlayON support tried to help, but they had no idea what to do and sent me on several time consuming but fruitless efforts.

Cons

I was never able to get "CAST" or streaming to work from any of three computers, two running Windows 8.1 and one running Win 7. I finally discovered that Roku had a new beta feature that works to Firefox versions 39 and later that sends ROKU 3 (late versions) streaming video directly from Firefox with no intervening program. This worked perfectly from the start.

Summary

For how to successfully stream from a Windows 8.1 PC to a ROKU 3 box see: http://support.roku.com/entries/56637184-How-do-I-use-Firefox-Video-Casting-BETA-

Very easy to install on your windows computer. Easy to understand user interface. Play "My Media" seamlessly (Ie:Video files on my computer or external hard drive) to my TV. Easy to set up plug ins and sign in to certain channels while still on the computer.

Cons

This has given me nothing but trouble for almost a year now. I read the website many times before purchasing a lifetime membership. It came with a Chromecast. NONE of the channels will play any clip or video ay all. It will connect to the app on your TV, it will let you see all of the stations and plug-ins, it will let you browse all the stations and clips, but...when you click play on ANY channel it goes into a "Loading" pop up and the little movie reel spins and then it times out and tells you to shut down the app and restart it. I have tried this over 100 times. I stopped using the Chromecast and got a Roku 3 and a Roku Stick and the same exact problems happen. All tech support is done via e-mail. They have NO phone support. I do not know how many tickets I submitted to try and get this to work until I finally gave up. Wish I had a trial period before I bought lifetime membership. This is just a piece of crap as far as watching any of the preloaded channels and any plug ins.

Summary

The PlayLater portion of this works very "Spotty" I was able to record some programs but a lot just timed out or got stuck buffering. No good at all for watching any of their advertised channels. The MyMedia portion is the only feature I have had no problem with but I use PLEX as my media server because of the excellent Metadata availability. I can see the movie poster so I know what I want to watch. (I have over a thousand movies on my drives) It also has channels that work %100 of the time as well as using the Roku to add hidden channels (PLEX IS FREE!!) Until I can get this to be able to actually stream channels I'd say don't pay for it.(P.S. Every other streaming service I have or did own worked perfectly wirelessly in my apartment (Ie: Netflix, Hulu,Amazon etc - Not not going through the PlayOn. Only through their website and casting or on the Roku App) My computer is running an AMD A8 processor with 8GB ram and a 1TB hard drive. My internet speed is 25/25. I can't give it a good grade or review until it actually works like they say.

Allows Wi-Fi access to all media on my own computer.
Offers a myriad of TV channels including Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Youtube HBO Go and others.
Playmark enables internet channels to be "cast" to a TV but if you would rather watch at a later time, you may Playmark (bookmark) the program to record later with bundled "Playlater. Once downloaded you may even choose to watch without commercials

Cons

I haven't found any yet but I did read others' comments about needing a good connection. I'm currently using a wi fi repeater to amplify the signal.

Summary

I highly recommend Playon! It works flawlessly with my Roku media player and offers excellent features. I finally decided to cut the cord!

It does what it says, anyone who reviews this product negatively is probably expecting, to get every service possible for free with this app.

Cons

Not always reliable, need a really strong internet connection, or to be hard wired for best results, but all in all a good service.

Summary

This CNET review is mind boggling, to give it a con because it doesn't rip off the doors to pay services like HBO GO or NETFLIX is just a testimony to how people these days would like to get their Television delivered to them.........by stealing it.

The current version simply does not work. It tops out even very hearty CPUs, even if the CPU rating in its own system check shows its performance as "High" or "Max." It literally cannot play any video. It has no uses. Zero. None. Customer support seems to be aware of the problem, but cannot provide a solution and, when pressed, simply disappears.

Summary

Do not pay money for this product. It might work until the first update. After that happens--and it will--it will bring you nothing but frustration.

Can't be any better than installing Video Downloader Pro (free) extension for Chrome which will stream anything and everything online to Chromecast on any TV. (mp4 format only but supports YouTube too).

PLAYON / PLAYLATER REVIEW -
Think about what you need it for. It is not a one size fits all / replace everything you own solution. It fits some niches very well. For me the value is Hulu Basic Streaming and "Everything" Archiving for Timeshifted Viewing when traveling, or when my Tuners on my DVR are already busy.

PLAYON
I've been using the Playon Software on/off for about 5+ years. I took an old 2008 AMD Laptop I had laying around and installed the (now discontinued) Playon BASIC. This was so that I could get Hulu Basic and Amazon Prime Streaming content to my DLNA Blu Ray Player / TV (Before Smart TV's were common and affordable) and an older DLNA WDLive streaming box that did not come with any of the now common apps. For this use it has always worked well.

PLAYLATER
I recently looked at the Playon site and found out about Playlater. I travel all the time, and often internationally where I have very slow or expensive internet options. I ran an experiment before my recent trip to Brazil, and I put 4 seasons of shows on my $59 windows tablet and watched them on the 12 hour plane ride and also in the Hotel via the HDMI input common on most TV's.

VALUE
I have canceled Hulu Plus (saving $8 / month), so this upgrade has already paid for itself in just 3 months. Plus I was able to return my spare "Travel" Chromecast for $35, and my last failed attempt at a decent travel Router $50 (just could never get it all to work together consistently). Once HBO Go is totally ala carte, I'll probably drop cable TV (again) and just use Playon / Playlater to stream or archive video from the web. Saving about $100 / month over Cable TV.

SUPPORT:
I HAVE NEVER HAD BETTER SUPPORT FROM A SOFTWARE PROVIDER! My emails are answered quickly within hours and without the typical condensation found at other SW companies. They answer my questions directly no canned "Level 1" answers like ("have your tried rebooting").

PROBLEMS:
Most of my problems were around trying to get Playlater to work on an 8 year old AMD laptop. Streaming worked perfectly fine in standard definition, but I could only get recording to work at the second to lowest setting. I just deployed a cheap i7 Quad Core, 2012 vintage laptop from ebay and now I can run Playon and PlayLater at maximum settings at the same time (while doing other work) and they work perfectly.

SUMMARY:
I've tried and own several other streaming solutions and they all have their strength and weaknesses. So far no, one single device does everything I need. Playon helps to fill the gaps and shortcomings of the other solutions like (Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, WDLive, DLNA, Build in Smart TV Apps)
The software gets better with every release. The Playlater Software shows real potential to be a commercial DVR software alternative when it grows up. For now all recordings are manual. There are no season passes or cross platform searches, but I assume it will get there sooner or later.
For me, having paid something like $40 total for 5+ years of use, I could not be happier.

I also have had this for over 5 years when I did not have cable - I now have cable (new in area got deal) I will remove the cable - I do not see any difference in how my programs are viewed with or without cable and will save $100/mo. The support is wonderful and I will be adding the Playlater to my bundle. Playon has responded to my issues immediately where it took Verizon almost 2 years and many many hours of frustration to get issues resolved.

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